Post Vise Restoration

Would anyone reading this post possibly have back issues of ANVIL magazine specifically the July, August, September & October 2001 issues?
I am looking to get a copy of the four part series that was printed in those issues on restoring post vises. The articles were written by;
James R Melchor and Peter M. Ross.

Thanks

David [email protected]

 

[fatboy]

I woudlnt mine see them my self !!!

 

I have repaired a dozen or so post vises - what are you trying to fix?

 

[CrackStock]

They are pretty simple. What is to go wrong?

The holding strap or opening spring?

CS

 

[davy]

They are pretty simple. What is to go wrong?

The holding strap or opening spring?

CS

It's probably tha nut behind tha vise! :crackup:

Davy

 

[benvenuto]

the guts of that article was posted online somwhere I believe. we learnt to forge replacement springs for those a few years back at college

 

[CrackStock]

No, I was not joking, I was wanting to know what was wrong with it.

I got one for $50 and have only used that one a few times.

Mine needs a spring to open it up, but I plan to band a few tines from and old garden rake to last me for a while. I also might like to clean up the holding jaws.

Have you looked over at

http://www.anvilfire.com/

for any info?

Good luck with it.

CS

 

To whoever might be interested, A36 mild steel can be used for a post vise spring. I had an original break and the only thing I had laying around was hot rolled, so I took a piece of 3/16x1-1/4 flat and doubled it for a thickness of 3/8. I tacked it with a MIG about every two inches on the sides and bent it hot in the shape I needed. Afterwards, I took a red heat on the whole thing and quenched in brine but did not temper it. Made a good spring that has held up for several years. They sometimes take a little set if you get a soft spot but work well for the most part and are not as finicky as spring steel. Another trick is to make one from spring steel but just normalize without hardening and tempering. This will also take a set but still have a lot of spring left, so bend an inch farther than needed and let it relax. The only replacement spring I ever made that broke was one I tried to harden and temper from spring steel - it was still too hard when I installed it and snapped.

The rest of a post vise is pretty self explanatory so I won't add any further comments.

 

Hey guys thanks for the responses and someone is suppose to be sending me a copy of the entire article.

Oh and Davy.....There is no doubt, in my case, that there is a loose nut behind the vise.

Thanks again

David :front:

 

[CrackStock]

Dave,

Please forward me a copy. I am interested.

Thanks,
CrackStock

 

[PaulN/KS]

I'd be interested in that article myself as I have an old post vise that needs a spring and some other work .(Still waiting on the barn contractor to finish up so I get a place to put the vise...)

 

[benvenuto]

the way we were taught is use a piece of "simple" silicon-manganese spring steel, old car springs are fine, in fact the older they are the more likely you havent got anything "exotic". You can grind most of it to shape, then do any bending at a bright red/orange heat. Let cool in still air on a brick.
heat treatment is simple - an even bright red heat, and quench in oil (probably a minimum 5 galons in a container with a lid to prevent fires). temper by heating all over with a soft flame, until you can get the end of a bit of hardwood to smoke when touched to the metal. if you get it right, when you touch the metal with your stick and try and slide it over the surface, the metal will feel greasy to the touch. Cool in still air and you should be right for another hundred years.

Mild steel would be good too, but use brine or the "superquench" recipie they have on anvilfire